DeepSummary
Linda Avey is a biologist and entrepreneur, best known as the co-founder of 23andMe, a consumer genetic data company where she served as co-president from 2006 to 2009. The interview covers her childhood as an outdoorsy kid growing up in South Dakota and her initial interest in biology at Augustana University, where she switched her major from accounting to biology after taking a non-majors biology class.
The discussion explores Linda's journey into the biotech industry, working at companies like Waters Associates and Perlagen, where she had the idea for 23andMe after seeing a product that could extract DNA from saliva at a trade show. She talks about meeting Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, who was interested in genetics, and the founding of 23andMe with Anne Wojcicki and Paul Cusenza.
Linda shares insights into the early days of 23andMe, building the interface for consumers to understand their genetic data, balancing ethics with speed, navigating the three co-founder dynamic, and her ultimate departure from the company in 2009. She also discusses her later ventures like Precisely, her thoughts on the importance of scientific background for biotech founders, and her current role as an investor evaluating biotech startups.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Linda Avey co-founded 23andMe after realizing the potential for providing consumer access to personal genetic data.
- Launching 23andMe involved balancing ethics around explaining complex genetic information with the goal of making it accessible.
- Having the right co-founder team with shared vision and complementary skills is crucial for a successful startup.
- Linda advocates against patenting genetic discoveries to promote open access and scientific progress.
- Her departure from 23andMe in 2009 was not by choice, but she has no regrets about her foundational work there.
- A strong science background is vital for biotech founders, complemented by entrepreneurial skills and technical co-founders.
- As an investor, Linda evaluates biotech startups through the lens of having the right team with solid scientific foundations.
- Self-reflection, open-mindedness, and continued learning are key mindsets Linda strives to cultivate.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “I realized that probably the primary reason for that is that when doctors are in medical school or when they're getting their training, they only learn about the most severe genetic examples, like Huntington hunting tents. And that one came up a fair amount. So they were thinking more through that lens of serious conditions that people, if they've got the genetics for it, and Huntington's especially, it's a certainty that you're going to get the disease.“ by Linda Avey
- “And that was my position. And it came really from kind of seeing what was going on with BRCA. Back in the day, there was only one company called Myriad Genetics that could do the BRCA test because they had the IP all locked up. And to me, that just seemed crazy.“ by Linda Avey
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Episode Information
She Leads
Carly Malatskey
2/20/24
To put it most simply: Linda is a biologist and entrepreneur at heart . Perhaps most notably, she is the co-founder of 23andMe, a publicly held consumer genetic data company. She was the co-president of the company from 2006 to 2009.
Linda is also the cofounder and former CEO of Precise.ly, an intelligent assistant for clinical care settings. Linda is currently a member on the board of directors of the Human Immunome Project, which is building the world’s largest immunological dataset at a population level, and she’s a Member of the Board of Fellows at Stanford University’s School of Medicine. Linda graduated with a bachelors degree in Biology from Augustana University.
In this episode, we cover the following topics:
1. Linda's Childhood and her initial interest in Biology at Augustana University
2. Choosing a career path after beginning her career in research
3. Linda's Transition to the Biotech Industry
4. Linda's entrepreneurial journey in founding 23andMe and everything that led to this ultimate jump, including meeting Sergey Brin (Founder of Google) and the first time she saw at a trade show that you're able to get your genetic data from saliva. Immediate light bulb moment.
5. Her decision in *leaving* 23andMe in 2009.
6. The importance of choosing your cofounders and balance the different roles and dynamics that ensure at a startup, especially with 3 cofounders.
7. Balancing ethics + speed in a biotech company
8. Importance of a science background as a founder of a biotech company (+ which skills you need to lean on others)
9. Linda provides her perspective as an investor when she evaluates biotech companies.
Linda's Book Recommendation? "The Sovereign Self" by Acharya Shunya. Here it is on Amazon!
Linda's changed opinion in the last decade? Psychadelics
Linda's life-time craft she is honing? Self-reflection
▶️ Video interview available on Youtube.
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